Blagojevich judge won't release President Obama's FBI report

Rod Blagojevich's judge, U.S. District Judge James Zagel, today denied the former governor's lawyers access to a report of President Obama's FBI interview.

Agents interviewed Obama after Blagojevich's 2008 arrest. At the time, Obama was President-elect and transitioning into the White House. He was interviewed as part of the investigation into Blagojevich, since the ex-governor was accused of plotting to sell Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat.

While FBI notes for other witnesses were turned over -- including Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett -- Obama's were not given to the defense.

Zagel said he read over Obama's report again after the defense made another attempt at seeing them.
"There is nothing in the report that could be used at trial," Zagel said.

Blagojevich's attorneys said they believed that witness Tom Balanoff, a union chief, had testified in last summer's trial to something that was counter to what Obama had said publicly regarding his staff's contacts with Blagojevich's staff.

However, Zagel said he didn't find anything in the report that would help the defense "impeach" Balanoff's testimony when he takes the stand in the retrial.